How ‘best before’ dates waste tons of Canadian food

You've probably thrown something out when it was past the date on the package—even if it didn't really seem like it had gone bad. Better safe than sorry, or as the campaign used to tell us, "When in doubt, throw it out." But best before dates are not the same as expiry dates, and this misunderstanding is behind millions of kilograms of food wasted every year.

Where did best before dates come from and what was their initial intention? Why does everything have a best before date now, even things like candy or chips ... or water? How can we reverse decades of conditioning and teach people to use common sense and good judgement, rather than an arbitrary date, to determine when to toss otherwise edible food?